Hearse-table.



C. 0. MATHEWS.

. HEARSE TABLE.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN-2 1M919. 1,299,984.

' Patented Apr. 8,1919.

- 3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Ema-

31mm Clzaidfifafiaw.

C. 0. MATHEWS.

HEARSE TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-24.1919.

1,299,984, Patented Apr. 8,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

C. 0. MATHEWS.

HEARSE TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.24. 19m.

Patented Apr. 8,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

CHARLES o. MATHEWS; or MILFORD, comvncrrour.

HEARSE-TABLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. MATHEWS,

a citizen of the United States, residing at the town of Milford, in the county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Hearse-Tables; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a table for hearses and more particularly to the casket securing or anchorlng means, the invention residing in an improved clamping means arranged at opposite ends of the table with mechanism for simultaneously efl'ecting adjust ment of the means toward and from the casket.

A further object is to provide a noiseless construction in which the parts are res1l1- through on lines l4= and 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 showing the mounting of the jaw;

' front ently held against rattling, and another object is to mount the front clamping jaws for movement below the table to be out of the path of a casket when being positioned in the hearse.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved hearse table.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Fi 3 is a transverse section on line 3 3 of Flg. 1 showing the fixed rear clamping members or jaw;

Figs. 4 and 5 are detailed sections there- Fig. 6 is a detailed section of a modified anti-rattling device which may be used in place of that form depicted in Fig. 5;

Fig. .7

end of the table illustrating one of the adjustable jaws;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section thereof on line 8-8.of Fig. 7 V

Fig. 9 is a vertical section on line 9 9 of Fig. 10 is a detailed perspective view 0. one of the movable jaws; and

Fig. 11' is an enlarged. sectional view to ihow more clearly the locking means there- Referring more in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the body of the hearse table which is equipped at its forward end with a transversely arranged guide roller 2, on which the casket is Specification of Letters Patent.

is a fragmentary plan new of the Patented Apr. 8, 1919.

Application filed January 24, 1919. Serial No. 272,833.

initially rested when being positioned in the hearse, and at spaced points throughout its length with rollers 3 which also assist the easy sliding of the casket to position.

Extending lengthwise of the table are longitudinally spaced pairs of parallel slots 4 and 5 faced above and below with metal strips (Sand 7, the forward pair of'slots 5" having lateral extensions 8 directed outwardly and likewise faced with corresponding extensions 9 of the metal strips 7. Journaled in bearing brackets 10 and 11 is a right and left screw threaded shaft 12 disposed lengthwise of the. table, with its longitudinally spaced threaded portions, located between the slots of the respective pair. Two bearing brackets 11 support the shaft centrally and between these brackets is a sleeve 13 which constitutes an enlargement to prevent endwise movement of the shaft and in the event that the latter is divided, forms a coupling for the shaft sections. On the forward end of the shaft is mounted, either detachably or permanently, a crank handle 14, or'a pinion (not shown) may be fixed thereon in meshing relation with another pinion (not shown) to which each other upon rotation of the shaft, each bar having a centrally located, threaded aperture to receive a respective threaded portion of the shaft so that one bar will operate over the left screw threads and the other over the right screw threads. The ends of the bars extend in opposite directions beneath the slots 4 and 5, and on each end portion of the bars is a pair of ears.

The ears 17 which are carried on the opposite ends of the rear cross bar 15 have j their lower inner portions cut away to receive the bar and to provide shoulders 18 that "seat on the upper face of said bar, the ears of each pair being alined on opposite sides of the bar and extending upwardly into f the slots 1. A bolt 19 passes through the,

cross bar and the lower ends of the ears of each pair for fixing the latter on the bar,

while a fixed clamping member 20 above the table has a reduced shank 21 depending through the slot and between the upper ends of'the ears where it is secured by a pair of bolts '22. H

A very important feature resides in the prov sion of means for preventing the rat pins cannot easily leave their sockets when once in position. To this'end, the-rounded end pin 28 is merely placed in the socket 29 and backed up by a coiled spring 30 the tension of which may be varied by the screw plug 31.

' and the tang will leave The front clamping members 32 have tangs 33 depending through the slots 5 between the upper ends of the pairs of ears 34 to which they are pivotally connected by a pin 35, the lowerend portions of the ears being cut away and secured by bolts 36 to the front cross bar 16 in substantially the samemanner in which the ears 17 are mounted on their cross bar. The clamping members 32 are adapted to swing laterally about their pivots into the lateral slot extensions 8 wherethey are disposed slightly below the flush surface of the table and metal parts so,

as to be out of the way and not interfere with the insertion of the casket. After the casket has been placed within'the hearse, the clamping members are swung upwardly out of the slot extensions 8 to an upright position in front of the casket where they are locked by the spring pressed balls 3-7 which enter smalldepressions or seats 38 formed in the tangs of the clamping members. Each ball 37 is arranged in a horizontal bore 39, in the upper end of one ear of each pair and is backed up by a coiled spring 40 and screw 41. When the clamping member or jaw 'is forced laterally into the slot extension, to be out of the way of'an incoming casket, the ball will be forced out of the depression 38 its contact with the ball, but when the jaw is lifted, as by means of a finger knob 42 thereon, the tang of the jaw will come in contact with the ball and force it inwardly until the depression comes opposite when the ball will enter the latter and thus yieldingly lock the jaw upright. This simple means locks the jaw with sufficient resilient force to securely hold the same as against all rattling.

In operation, with the forward clamping members swung beneath the flush level of the table, the casket is placed on the table subsequent to which the jaws are swung up to operative position and the screw shaft turned to move all the jaws toward and against the casket to firmly clamp the sameto the table. To remove the casket it is only necessary to reverse the rotation of the shaft to bring the jaws to the remote ends of the slots when the front jaws may be swung laterally and downwardly.

The construction is simple and very ellicient, the operation necessitating only the turning of the shaft and the swinging of the front jaws to and from operative position. The jaws cannot be moved independently by the screw nor can they be adjusted when the front jaws are down. The construction is therefore not only practical, but also safe.

What is claimed is:

1. A hearse table having longitudinally spaced pairs of parallel slots extending lengthwise thereof, a shaft j ourna'led on the underside of the table and having spaced right and. left screw threaded portions extending between the slots of the respective pairs, cross bars engaged with the threaded portions to advance and retract from each other upon rotation of the shaft, a pair of cars fixed on each end of the bars to extend up into the respective slot of the table, and a clamping jaw secured between each pair of ears and extending above the table, the jaws at one end of the table being from the path of an incoming casket.

2. A hearse table having spaced pairs of parallel slots extending lengthwise thereof and having metallic facing strips bordering said slots at the top and bottom of the table, a shaft journaled 0n the underside of the table and having spaced right and left screw threaded portions extending between the slots of the respective pairs, cross bars engaged with the threaded portions to advance and retract from each other upon rotation of the shaft, a jawcarried'on each end of the 'bars and extending above the table through its slots, and resilient devices carried by the extremities of the rear cross bar and projecting through the upper face of the latter and having constant contact with the opposing metallic facing strips throughout the entire movements of said bar.

3. A hearse table having longitudinally spaced pairs of parallel slots extending lengthwise thereof, a shaft journaled on the underside of the table and having'spaced right and left screw threaded portions extending between the slots of the respective pairs, cross bars engaged withthe threaded portions to advance and retract from each other upon rotation of the shaft, a jaw carried on each end of the bars and extending above the table through its slots, the opposite ends of one 'bar having vertical sockets, and spring pressed pins disposed in the bar sockets to exert a resilient pressure wardly against the underside of the table to steady the bar in its movements.

4:. In a hearse table having parallel slots extending lengthwise thereof and leading longitudinally adjustable at their front ends into laterally extending slots, jaws above the table having parts depending into the parallel slots, the front pair of jaws having pivotal connections and capable of being swung laterally into said laterally extending slots and below the surface of the table, and means for operating the jaws to clamp a casket on the table.

5. In a. hearse table having parallel slots extending lengthwise thereof and leading at their front extremities into lateral slots, jaws above the table having parts depending into the parallel slots, means underlying the table and. carrying said jaws, the rear jaws being fixed to said means while the front jaws are pivoted thereto for swinging into the lateral slots, said means having horizontal bores and spring actuated balls reciprocal therein, the pivoted jaws having small depressions into which said balls engage for locking the jaws upright, and means for operating the jaws in the parallel slots to clamp a casket.

6. A hearse ta'ble having longitudinally spaced .jpairs of parallel slots extending lengthwise thereof, a shaft-journaled on the underside of the table and having spaced right and left screw threaded portions extending between the slots of the respective pairs, cross bars engaged with the threaded portions to advance and retract from each other upon rotation of the shaft, each forward slot having a lateral extension at its outer end, metal facing strips secured along the slots, ears secured in pairs to the ends of the bars and extending upwardly into slots, the ends of the rear bar being formed Copies of this patent may outwardly, of the ears with vertical sockets, rounded end pins in the sockets, screw plugs in the lower ends of the sockets, coiled springs interposed between the plugs and pins to resiliently hold the latter up against the facing strips, and jaws secured between the ears, the front jaws being movable laterally and downwardly into the slot extensions.

7 A hearse table having longitudinally spaced pairs of parallel slots extending lengthwise thereof, a shaft j ournaled on the underside of the table and having spaced right and left screw threaded portions extending between the slots of the respective pairs, cross bars engaged with the threaded portions to advance and retract from each other upon rotation of the shaft, each forward slot having a lateral extension at its outer end, metal facing strips secured along the slots, ears secured in pairs to the ends of the bars and extending upwardly into the slots, resilient means outwardly of the ears on the rear bar for yieldably bearing against the facing strips, one ear of each pair of forward ears having a horizontal bore, a spring pressed member therein, and jaws secured between the ears of each pair and operating above the table, the forward jaws being pivotally mounted for swinging laterally and downwardly into the lateral slot extensions and formed with depressions into which the spring pressed members are engageable for locking the jaws operative.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

C. O. MATHEWS.

be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

Washington, D. G. 

